i don’t know how popular this idea is, but i think i genuinely like charlotte lol. she’s … sweet. she has potential. she’s timid but can be very brave. and i didn’t intend for this to become an ‘in defense of charlotte’ post but i suppose it is, it got a lot longer than i intended.
she’s witnessed griffith get shot, slapped by her uncle, slapped by rickert, poisoned at a ball, orchestrated his rescue (i wonder if griffith knows this tbh), loved him and wasn’t repelled even when he was reduced to a withered husk (to me this reads as her love for him wasn’t superficial), and stayed loyal to him for years … and after everything, she’s one of the few people that still truly cares for his well-being, the only human he’s still in (amicable) contact with and a holdover from the golden age.
she likes him as a person, doesn’t idealize him, and she’s seen him at his lowest … (even if her fondness for him is a bit flowery, when she’s young especially). the only other person i can credit with these rare conditions is/was guts. idk that’s pretty significant imo.
i mean yes, of course there’s plenty of knight-in-shining-armor naivety involved, but still. she’s good, she’s gentle with him. i think he appreciates it. she respects him, and he appreciates that too. he knows she has nothing to truly gain from being with him, ergo … i think he feels like he can trust her (even though she’s obviously just a goalpost initially … but maybe like guts, her role evolves in griffith’s mind too. people we are made to believe are mere tools to griffith becoming important to him? idk maybe there’s something to this, maybe not).
i don’t endorse them as a “couple” per se, because i definitely believe griffith is gay as hell, and initially just needs her to achieve his goals. but … i think she symbolizes, at least a little bit to griffith, that maybe he is worthwhile to someone, outside of the idealized griffith. that’s saying a lot for a person with incredibly deep-seated self-loathing and worthlessness issues.
furthermore, i believe he likes her as a person, both in golden age and as ngriff (as much as he can like a person given the circumstances, and we still aren’t entirely clear on those circumstances). it’s significant though. he likes her because she’s not trying to take something from him, physically or symbolically, regardless of what role she actually represents to him. he’s a smart man with good instinct regarding people’s intentions, not recognizing her strengths would be direly remiss on his part imo, and highly unlikely.
she’s got a lot of strength honestly, and it’s sad that she’s seen as pretty weak and a character to be pitied, or worse, hollow or dumb. she’s gentle, but not weak, and she finds real strength in a crisis. that might be her strongest asset … especially since she’s SEEN some shit now, and she’s a little older. and speaking to her strengths, she lives through some horrifying shit from her father especially (here’s some points about her shitty dad i screen-shotted from wiki);
it’s interesting how each retelling of berserk loses more and more detailed and important story, and by interesting i mean it’s fucking bullshit. god, how droll. yes, by all means, dismantle griffith’s character and motivations further, as if his nature isn’t opaque enough already to most fans, even with all information we are privy to fully-intact. given griffith’s top-billing role in berserk and miura’s penchant for holding out on his deepest feelings until it’s too late … i wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t get full griffith until the very, very end. if he even gives a shit about griffith anymore lmao (and i’m definitely not laughing any ass off here i assure you).
anyhow back to charlotte … i actually think i’m rooting for her, but i’d never given this any serious thought until now. i know there are theories about her getting killed and griffith not caring etc., i could see it but i don’t think that’ll be how it goes down. i’d love for her to at least once find real power in her position, and maybe even outshine griffith (in the people’s eyes) with her genuine kindness as a ruler. there’s gotta be a part of her that wants to outdo her shitty family with her own goals, and i don’t want to believe that her singular goal is a flat “griffith” (in contrast to guts honestly lmao). but it may just be that. maybe she’s content, but i hope not. i’m hoping she’s a more relevant character than we’re led to believe. she has huge potential as a ruler, she just needs a reason to rise to the occasion.
there’s also a lot of rebellion tied in her steadfast loyalty to griffith. just the act of being with griffith is a huge blatant fuck you to her shitty family. not only did her parents and uncle fucking loathe him, all 3 of them tried to have him killed at different junctions. her uncle smacks him (and guts has a big reaction, much like his big reaction to griffith being shot–she’s seen how much guts cared for him [and casca too for that matter]). i can’t help but wonder what charlotte’s gonna think when she inevitably sees guts and casca again … i don’t think they’ve seen her since the rescue. she probably assumes they’re dead. it’s interesting to think about in any case … and who knows, maybe she will act as some sort of mediator or unifying force against a greater evil? there are endless possibilities, but everything i imagine feels like it’d take more time to come to fruition than miura has left on this earth. UGH.
you're the only one 